Violin with chin rest



March 1955 YEHUDl MENUHIN ETAL 3, 75,

VIOLIN WITH CHIN REST 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1, 1963 .Invenkors I yahucli Mam/akin 5km; Meir Go/clbevgcr oZZZZZZV Hi%orneys March 30, 1965 YEHUDl MENUHIN ETAL 3,175,446

VIOLIN WITH CHIN REST Filed April 1, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i 11c 11a Yehudi Elena/(Him Ernb" Mair Go! er er ByXW w mm United States Patent 3,175,446 VIGLIN WITH CHIN REST Yehudi Menuhin, 2 The Grove, High Gate Village, London, England, and Ernii Meir Goldherger, 19 Via Inama, Milan, Italy Filed Apr. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 269,349 Claims priority, application gwitzerland, Jan. 7, 1963,

8 (Zlaims. (Cl. 84--279) The present invention relates to a violin and more particularly to a violin with a chin rest.

The present invention is an improvement of the structure disclosed in US. patent application Serial No. 33,530, filed June 2, 1960, now Patent No. 3,090,275. In accordance with the present invention a violin is provided having a chin rest that is clamped or affixed to the body of the violin through carrier means disposed on the violin body at a position where there will be no undue or excessive pressure on the violin body so that there will be no detrimental effect on the sonority of the instrument or the quality of musical sounds or tones emitted therefrom When in use by the musician.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a chin rest that may be readily and easily aflixed to and detached from the violin body as desired.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a chin rest for detachable connection to a violin and carrier means for supporting the chin rest which chin rest may be readily and easily interchanged with other chin rests Without any damage to the instrument.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier means that is disposed in a relatively strong or rigid portion of the violin instrument and which carrier means holds the tailpiece of the instrument as well as a chin rest detachably connected thereto.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide carrier means disposed on a violin instrument body with cooperating chin rest means that can be detachably connected to the carrier means by sliding it into position thereon and thereafter fixing it in a rigid position until it is desired to remove the chin rest therefrom.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an instrument having carrier means for holding the tailpiece of the instrument and a detachable chin rest, which carrier means and chin rest have coacting or cooperating track or guide means and tongue means for slidably mounting the chin rest on the guide means.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a carrier means that holds the tailpiece of the instrument as well as a detachable chin rest means and which carrier means permits the tailpiece to have lateral play with respect to the carrier means so that the carrier means in no way interferes with the quality of the musical tones or sonority of the instrument.

Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a violin embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary transverse end view taken from the left side of FIGURE 1, with the chin rest embodied in the present invention shown in section;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the violin embodying the present invention with the chin rest being indicated by a dot-dash line; and

FIGURE 4 is an end view similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrating a modification of the invention.

3,175.445 Patented Mar. 30, 1965 Referring to the drawings, the reference numerall generally designates the top or top wall or side of the violin body. The violin body is provided with the usual bridge 2 supported on the top 1 for carrying the violin strings. The violin is provided with a back 3 which forms the lower wall of the instrument and the front or top 1 and the back 3 are disposed in spaced relationship with each other by a tie or block 4 of relatively thin configuration and a relatively thick block 5. Referring to FIGURE 1 it is apparent that the blocks 4 and 5 are provided with a substantially tapered or conical recess extending completely therethrough with the inner end of the taper having a diameter substantially less than the diameter of the outer end of the recess. This recess or bore in blocks 4 and 5 has a button fixedly mounted therein comprising a bushing 6 and a core element 7. The bushing 6 is preferably made of wood or it may be of an appropriate synthetic material and is provided with an enlarged head on the outer end thereof which has a diameter substantially greater than the largest diameter of the bore in the blocks 4 and 5. The bushing 6 is provided with a central here or recess extending completely therethrough with an enlarged outer section and an inner section having a reduced diameter so as to form a shoulder therebetween to receive the core element or member 7 with the enlarged diameter of the outer end of the core 7 being disposed in the enlarged portion of the central bore in the bushing 6 so that the shoulder formed between the two different diameter sizes of the core element 7 abuts against the shoulder formed in the central bore of the bushing 6. The portion of the button or bushing 6 which is disposed outwardly of the tie or block 4 is provided with an internally threaded upwardly directed radial bore 3 to receive the lower threaded portion 9a of a clamping shank or member 9. The shank 9 is also provided with an upper externally threaded portion 9b which is engaged in an internally threaded hole or bore 10 disposed in the lower portion or downwardly projecting portion 11a of a carrier member 11. The shank 9 is provided with a median cylindrical portion 9c provided with a plurality of spaced radial bores 12 for receiving the cylindrical shank of a tool or instrument for turning the shank 9 in steps of approximately The threads of the portions 9a and 9b and also the corresponding threads of the bores 8 and it] are of opposite pitch so that one is a right hand thread and the other is a left hand thread.

The lower vertically projecting portion 11a of the carrier member 11 is formed integral with a horizontally and inwardly extending middle portion 11b as best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2 with the outer end or portion of the member 11 being relatively narrow and thereafter extending laterally in opposite directions as indicated at llb in FIGURE 2 to provide laterally extending faces or wings disposed over the block portions 4 and 5 of the violin. The lower surface or face of the middle portion lib of the carrier 11 is covered with a thin piece of leather 13 or similar resilient material which bears against the outer surface of the top 1 of the violin box to prevent any damage thereto or marring thereof when the shank member 9 is properly tightened so that the carrier 11 is clamped with its middle portion 11b disposed on the rear middle portion of the top 1 with the middle portion 11b being properly supported on the block 5. The inner or front end of the carrier member 11 is provided with an integrally formed upwardly vertical projection or portion lie. The vertically disposed block portion is substantially rectangular in shape in transverse section and is provided with two substantially square recesses 13 disposed in the lower oppositely disposed corners thereof best seen in FIGURE 2. The recesses 18 together with the faces 11b provide a track or guide way for cooperating tongue portions on the chin rest as hereinafter described. These recesses or notches 18 extend longitudinally of the carrier member 11 and longitudinally of the violin box so that the portion 110 of the carrier member 11 is substantially of T-shaped configuration when looking at it from the rear of the violin as clearly illustarted in FIGURE 2. A longitudinally extending bore I4 is provided in the middle of the portion 110 of the carrier member which bore 14 extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the notches 18 and the lateral faces formed by the wing portions 11b. A pull screw is disposed in the central bore 14 as shown in FIGURE 1. The screw member 15 is provided with a slotted head with a spherical or conically shaped surface on the underside thereof engaging a corresponding spherical or conical surface on the outer end of the bore 14 while the shank of the screw member 15 is substantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of the bore 14 so that the screw memher which has its threaded portion disposed in the threaded bushing 17 secured in the tailpiece 16 to which the violin strings are attached or fastened can pivot about this screw head or, in other words, the screw member 15 is permitted a wide amount of radial play with respect to the carrier member 11.

A chin rest generally designated 19 is provided with a substantially horizontal portion 2190 providing a support for the chin of the violin player and a downwardly projecting vertical portion or block 19a toward the rear thereof, both of which portions are formed integrally with one another. The block or boss portion 19a is provided with a substantially rectangular shaped recess disposed centrally thereof with a downwardly extending vertical wall or back portion 19.) defining the rear of the rectangular recess. The reces extends longitudinally of the block portion 19a and the block portion 194: on opposite sides of the recess are substantially the same width as the width of the middle portion lie of the carrier member and the lentgh of the block portion 1% is substantially the same length of the middle portion 110 of the carrier member. A substantially U-shaped member having a horizontally disposed top with two vertical legs disposed on the opposite sides thereof which legs are each provided with an inturned lip, each, tongue, or rib 26a is disposed within the recess of the block 1% as best shown in FIGURE 2. The ribs or tongues 29a project or extend into the longitudinal recesses 18 of the upper portion lie of the carrier member so that the fixture piece 20 can be slidably mounted on this portion 110 for attaching the chin rest to the carrier member. The fixture piece 29 is detachably positioned within the recess by a set screw 23 disposed in a horizontal or lateral bore formed in the block portion 19a of the chin rest, while the fixture piece 20 is secured to the chin rest 19 by two screws 21 having their heads counter sunk in the horizontal or transverse portion of the U-shaped member 29 and threaded into bushings 22 provided in the chin rest 19.

In operation, the present invention has the carrier ember ll fastened thereto by properly tightening the shank member 9 until the leather portion 13 is pressed or clamped against the upper rear portion of the top 1 of the violin so that the blocks 4 and 5 provide a rather rigid support for the carrier member ll without causing any undue stresses on the fragile instrument body. Thereafter the chin rest 19 is detachably fastened to the carrier member 11 by holding the chin rest 19 in the hand and sliding the fixture piece Ztl to which the chin rest has been secured by the screw members 21 beforehand, forward or from the left to the right as shown in FIG- URE 1 with the longitudinal ears or tongues or ribs 2dr: being slidably engaged within the longitudinal notches or recesses 18 on the middle portion lie of the carrier and with the lower surfaces of the ribs 20a and the lower surfaces of the block portion 1% sliding along the lateral faces or wings 11b of the carrier member until the rear wall 1% of the chin rest abuts the portion lie of th carrier. Thereafter the set screw 23 is inserted within the opening or recess in 1% and tightened so that the fixturepiece 2t will not slide with respect to the portion lie of the carrier member. In removing the chin rest to interchange with another chin rest it is only necessary to loosen the set screw 23 and thereafter slide the fixture member or piece 2% and its tongues or ribs 20a out of the corresponding notches 18 of the portion 11 of the carrier member until they clear the outer or rear end of these recesses.

Referring to the modification shown in FIGURE 4, this is substantially the same as that already described with respect to FIGURES 1 to 3 except that the block 19a of the chin rest does not have the fixture piece 24 or the ribs Ztlrz secured thereto and instead the upwardly projecting portion of the carrier 11 is provided with two pins 24 anchored or secured therein and two bushings 25 secured in the block portion 19a receive the shanks of the projecting pins 2 upon which the block member 19a is slidably mounted.

From the foregoing detailed description it is obvious that the present invention provides a violin with a chin rest and a carrier member that is detachably clamped or fastened to tie or rear block portions of the music box of the instrument and the carrier member in turn is provided with track or guide means to receive the tongue means of a chin rest by slidably mounting the tongue means on the track means so that the chin rest will also be supported by the heavy rear tie or block members of the instrument without causing any damage to the more delicate parts of the violin, and which chin rest can be readily interchanged for other chin rests and which carrier member further has secured thereto the tailpiece of the violin without any interference with the proper adjustment of the tailpiece because of the use of a detachable chin rest member therewith.

Inasmuch as various changes may be made in the form, location and relative arrangement of the several parts of the invention without departing from its essential characteristics, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for detachably securing a chin rest and a tailpiece on a violin type instrument with a body and block means therein comprising carrier means detachably fastened to said block means, guide means formed on said carrier means for receiving a chin rest support means thereon, means on said carrier means for fastening a violin tailpiece thereto and chin rest support means with slide means for-med thereon slidably mounted on said guide means.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said guide means comprise laterally disposed horizontal members with a vertical portion extending upwardly therefrom and having spaced elongated longitudinal recesses therein and said slide means comprises a member with an elongated longitudinal recess therein with tongue means adapted to extend into said spaced longitudinal recesses to slidably mount and interlock said chin rest support means thereto.

3. A device for detachably securing a chin rest to a;

violin type instrument with a hollow body and block means therein comprising a carrier member with a hori-' zontal portion and vertical portion extending from oppointo said notches and with side portions adapted to contact the surface of said horizontal portion adjacent said notches to slidably mount said chin rest on said carrier member.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein bore means are provided in the horizontal portion of the carrier member, and a spherical surface is provided adjacent one end of said bore means, and headed screw means of substantially less diameter than said bore means and having a corresponding spherical surface on its head are disposed in said bore means for fastening a violin type instrument tailpiece thereto.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein said chin rest is pro vided with a downward wall to abut said horizontal portion when said chin rest is properly slidably mounted on said carrier member.

6. A device for attaching a chin rest to a violin type instrument comprising a single one piece carrier member with a central horizontal block portion, a vertical portion extending down from one end thereof and a vertical portion extending upwardly from the other end thereof, said horizontal portion having laterally extending Wings, the upward portion consisting of a rectangular block formed centrally of said horizontal portion with notches in opposite lower corners thereof forming a guide way with the surfaces of said horizontal portion and a chin rest having a downwardly extending portion with a recess therein and an inverted U-shaped member fixed therein with inwardly extending ears thereon adapted to extend into said notches when said rectangular block is disposed in said chin rest recess for slidably mounting the rest on the carrier member.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said chin rest is detachably secured to said carrier member by set screw means.

8. A device for detachably securing a chin rest to a violin comprising a carrier member with a downwardly extending portion, a horizontal and upwardly extending portion, means for detachably securing said downward portion to a violin, said upwardly extending portion comprising a block with vertical pin members therein and a chin rest having a recess therein for mounting over said block and two sleeves thereon for receiving said pins.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 441,716 12/90 Tindall 84302 1,821,811 9/31 Mai 84-279 3,090,275 5/63 Menuhin et a1. 84-279 FOREIGN PATENTS 49,691 9/ 11 Austria. 156,692 8/39 Germany.

375 1884 Great Britain.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR DETACHABLY SECURING A CHIN REST AND A TAILPIECE ON A VIOLIN TYPE INSTRUMENT WITH A BODY AND BLOCK MEANS THEREIN COMPRISING CARRIER MEANS DETACHABLY FASTENED TO SAID BLOCK MANS, GUIDE MEANS FORMED ON SAID CARRIER MEANS FOR RECEIVING A CHIN REST SUPPORT MEANS THEREON, MEANS ON SAID CARRIER MEANS FOR FASTENING A VIOLIN TAILPIECE THERETO AND CHIN REST SUPPORT MEANS WITH SLIDE MEANS FORMED THEREON SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID GUIDE MEANS. 